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Appeals Court To Hear Arguments On Same-Sex Marriage Ban

A federal appeals court will hear arguments this week in a legal challenge to Virginia’s ban on same-sex unions. The proceedings are scheduled for Tuesday in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. The plaintiffs are two gay men from Norfolk, and two lesbians from Chesterfield County. A Norfolk judge sided with the plaintiffs earlier this year when she ruled against a voter-approved 2006 amendment to the Virginia constitution. That February ruling mobilized local supporters of same-sex marriages (pictured). Many legal experts believe state prohibitions on same-sex marriages will eventually be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.